A citizen of the United States (if convicted of a felony, Citizenship rights must have been restored).

A person 18 years of age by the next General Election or older

A legal resident of Rockingham County for 30 days prior to the next election.

A person who is at least 16 years of age but will not be 18 years of age by the date of the next election and who is otherwise qualified to register may pre-register to vote. A pre-registered citizen shall be automatically registered upon reaching the age of eligibility following verification of the person’s qualifications and address.A pre-registrant can use the current voter registration form which will be held and processed for the first primary and election in which the new voter will be qualified to vote.

It will be important for a pre-registrant to complete a new pre-registration form if he or she has changed residence since the first pre-registration.

Rockingham County has free, permanent and continuous registration. You need to register, change address or re-register ONLY if you;

Have not registered in Rockingham County before.

Have moved to a different voting precinct since you registered in Rockingham County. If you move, it is a violation of the law to return to your old precinct and vote after 30 days.

Wish to change your party affiliation.

Have changed your name.

Have been placed on ‘Inactive’ status.

A voter registration card will be mailed to you once your registration application has been processed or a change is made to your registration. They are mailed weekly. Keep the card, as it may be used to change your address by mail should you move, change your name or change you party. It can also be used to cancel your Rockingham County registration should you move out of the County.

A registration form must be postmarked 25 days before an election or delivered to the Board of Elections no later than 25 days before an election in order to be valid for that election. A registration may be placed in the "Inactive" status if a voter card is returned by the Postal Service as undeliverable.

In addition, you may change your address by filling out the back of your registration card and returning it to the Board of Elections. (CARD MUST BE POSTMARKED 25 DAYS BEFORE ELECTION OR RECEIVED IN THE ELECTIONS OFFICE BY 5:00 PM, 25 DAYS BEFORE ELECTION.

A Provisional Ballot is a ‘voted’ ballot, which is preserved and protected in a certification envelope until the voter’s qualifications are determined. If the voter is determined qualified, the ballot is counted on Canvass Day. If the voter is determined not eligible the ballot envelope remains sealed.

The intent of fail-safe voting (provisional ballots) is such that those who are eligible to vote are allowed to do so without disturbing the integrity of the elections. It also protects the integrity of the elections by not counting the provisional ballots of those persons not qualified to vote.

Primary Elections (held in even-numbered years)Primary Election is a partisan election in which candidates are nominated by their parties. The nominees selected by each party are then placed on the ballot for the General Election. If more than one candidate files for the same office and is of the same party and only one person may be elected to that office, a primary will be held. The same holds true for an office where there are two seats. If more than two people file for nomination for the same office in one party and only two may be elected, a primary will be held. If you register with a party, you may vote only in that party’s Primary Election. Voters who have registered Unaffiliated are currently permitted to vote in either the Democratic or Republican Party’s Primary Elections.

General ElectionGeneral Election is a partisan election in which candidates are elected to office. All registered voters are eligible to vote as they choose in General Elections.

Municipal/Non-partisan ElectionsThe Municipal (city/town) Elections and School Board Elections are non-partisan elections. All registered voters who reside within the respective municipal or school board districts are eligible to vote in these elections. The Municipal Elections are held in odd-numbered years. And the School Board Elections are held in even-numbered years on General Election Day.

If you have moved within Rockingham County and you fail to change your address by the registration deadline, there is a procedure that allows you to vote. On election day, you should go to your old precinct and fill out a ‘transfer’ form. Then you must take the transfer form to your new precinct or the Board of Elections Office. You will be allowed to vote at the new precinct. To avoid this paperwork, change your address by the registration deadline.

Written Request By Mail: A voter or near relative may request an application by mail, fax, or e-mail. The voter is mailed an application and the ballot and after the voter completes both, they are returned to the elections office. The written request must be made beginning 50 days prior to but not later than the Tuesday prior to election day.

The completed absentee ballot request form must be signed by the voter or the voter’s near relative, and include the voter’s name, address as it appears on the registration records, address where the ballot is to be mailed, and date of birth. If the request is by the near relative, the near relative’s address and relationship to the voter. Ballots will be mailed to the voter’s mailing address not the near relative’s.

State law (General Statute Section 163-230.2) now requires that a request for an absentee ballot be “written entirely by the requester personally” or by being submitted “on a form generated by the county board of elections and signed by the requestor.

The State Board of Elections has issued rules that would require that we mail a form to each requester whose written request is not “written entirely by the requester personally.”

Due to sickness or disability only, the voter may request absentee ballots for the calendar year.

One-Stop Voting: One-Stop Early voting is available in the Demonstration Kitchen on the 2nd floor of the Governmental Center. One-Stop Voting permits qualified voters to vote absentee in person. One-Stop Absentee Voting begins on the third Thursday before the election until the Saturday before the election. Voting hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm and Saturday before the election 8:00 am until 1:00 pm.

Instructions will be handed to the voter who votes in person or mailed to those voters who request ballots by mail.

All ballots must be returned to the Board of Elections office by 5:00 pm the day before the election. The ballot must be delivered by United States mail, the voter, or near relative.

If you are unable to enter the voting place because of age or physical disability, you will be allowed to vote either in your vehicle or near the polling place. Send the driver or other person in vehicle to request assistance from the Chief Judge or other Election Official.

Once a document has been recorded, anyone may obtain copies by coming into the office, writing to us, or visiting our website. View our link "Fee Schedule" for a list of fees. Military discharges (DD214) are public records with restricted access - see our link "Military Discharges" for more information.

"Home Occupations" are permitted. As per the Unified Development Ordinance: The home occupation must be conducted entirely within a dwelling and carried on by the occupants thereof. The home occupation must be clearly incidental and secondary to the dwelling and not occupy over 25% of the total actual floor area or 500 square feet, whichever is less. A zoning permit is required and can be obtained from the Central Permitting Office.

The first step is to talk with a Planner, who will advise you on the matter. Next, you must fill out an application in person, present a site plan, and pay a fee. Your case will then be heard by the Planning Board and the Board of Commissioners who will make a final decision. For application deadlines, or for more information, feel free to call the Planning Department at (336) 342-8117.

The Unified Development Ordinance generally allows only one home per lot, so your property would have to be subdivided. However, a guest house is allowed on a lot with an existing residence by following design standards and specific regulations. If you decide to subdivide your property, there are certain minimum lot size requirements and other rules governing the subdivision of property that you must follow.

Setbacks control how close you may place a building to the property line. In residential zoning districts, the front yard setback is 35 feet. The side yard and rear yard setbacks are 15 feet. If your property is a corner lot, the setback abutting the side road is 20 feet. Commercial and Industrial setbacks are different. For these setbacks, please call the Planning & Inspections Department at (336) 342-8117.

Any use upon lands where a specific ordinance prohibits certain uses within that district and has not received prior approval from the Planning Department. Violations should be filed with the Code Enforcement Department by calling (336) 342-8300 or by filling out the complaint form located on the Code Enforcement webpage.

Zoning and building permits are issued through the Planning and Inspections Department located in the Governmental Center in Wentworth, NC. Permits can be obtained Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 4:30pm.

All of the land records maintained by the Register of Deeds are public records, except for Military Discharges which have restricted access.

You may go on-line to search the real estate index and images for the time period indicated on the site at e-vault or, you may visit our office to search the records in person between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Usually, deeds are recorded at closing when you first purchase your property. A deed of trust (or mortgage/lien) is also filed if money is borrowed and technically you own the property but the lender or beneficiary holds the property (not the actual paper deed) as collateral should you default. After closing, the attorney mails the deed and all associated documents after they've been recorded in the Register of Deeds office.

The Register of Deeds office does not keep original documents; they are returned to the person as indicated on the document.

Once you have satisfied your debt to the lender, the lender usually mails the satisfaction documents directly to our office and we return the recorded document to the person indicated on the document.

You can visit our e-Vault, come into the office, or contact the lender/noteholder to see if your cancellation/satisfaction has been recorded.

We do not provide information over the telephone. We are a recording agency and cannot tell you if there are any liens against your property. If you are unsure if your deed of trust has been satisfied of record, you should contact an attorney for assistance.